A Naked Protest

I belong to some Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome groups on Facebook, and they can be a fantastic resource for information. I wouldn’t know half as much about this complex condition if I didn’t have that connection to others living with it. Today I found out just how powerful groups such as these can be.

It started when a member posted a video of a lady on YouTube called “My Naked Protest.” In the video a lady called Kateryna sits in her chair, naked – and explains that she has been left without care for about a month – and cannot look after herself.

She is now covered in pressure sores and rashes, and doesn’t have any pain medication for her Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. (She also has brain injuries, Autism and spinal cord injuries.) She has not been able to bathe for a month, and the last caregiver she had washed her clothes in detergent she’s highly allergic to – making her even more ill, which is why she sits there naked. She’s also now having to try and rehome her two cats – one of which is a service animal, as she can’t take care of their medical issues. Making her bed is also impossible, and the sheets are causing her agony without the right pressure relief pads on it.

She explains why she has lipstick on – knowing already that people would judge her for such a thing. She had put it on a few days previously to make herself feel better, but then the carers had failed to show up as promised, so she’d been unable to wash it off.

And so – after being totally abandoned by the care agencies, and after phoning constantly asking for help, and being told over and over that they’ll be there tomorrow – she makes one last desperate attempt to get help. When you have to take your clothes off to get help, something has gone horribly wrong.

The video was published on the 8th January, so she still had a wait – but when the video was posted in an EDS group, a few people jumped into action. Members called to report the problems to Adult Protective Services. Others called the police.

The police visited her – and were appalled by her situation, and made their own report to Adult Protective Services. They brought food for her, food for the cats and toilet paper, and even made her bed. Someone asked a local pizza shop to donate a meal – which they did, along with some large bottles of water. Her medical insurance company saw the video and have arranged for alternative care from tomorrow.

What’s terrifying is that this situation is repeated across the world. So many people with disabilities are hidden away, suffering without carers in place – struggling just to get by.

While this is an awful story – the silver lining was that it was lovely to people pulling together to get help in place so quickly and I hope the next care company don’t let her down again so badly.

Kateryna would like her story to be passed around so others do not suffer as she has. I hope she has a happy ending.